Phonograph having speaker pickup unit



May 27, 1952 J. J. WARNER PHONOGRAPH x-mvmc SPEAKER PICKUP uurr medSept. 23. 1949 INVENTOR. Jt'sst' .1 M M/ER,

Pate y 7, 1952 UNITED STATES FA'EENT OFFICE 7 2,598,026 PHONOGRAPHrmvmc; SPEAKER PICKUP UNI 17 Claims. 1

This invention relates to mechanical sound or speaking devices and hasfor its principal object to provide a small, compact and lightweightpickup and speaker device capable of reproducing sound from a record.

A related object is to provide a form of pickupspeaker applicable insituations where small size, light weight and freedom from adverseeffects du to jarring, is desired.

The novel pickup and speaker device according to my invention isespecially'adapted for use with toys and novelties embodying recordedsound or talking devices. An application to which the device isparticularly adapted is in mechanical sound reproducing devices used inthe operation of talking dolls and the like.

In accordance with my present invention, there is provided a soundreproducer in combination with a pickup needle whereby the mechanicalvibrations of the needle are transferred directly to the diaphragm ofthe reproducer. According to this feature, the diaphragm is held aroundits peripheral edge in a frame and the needle protrudes through anopening of the holder and is fastened to the diaphragm by wax or cementor the like.

A feature resides in a relatively lightweight construction of thereproducer which affords freedom from inertia effects, which if presentwould tend to jar the needle from the record groove when the device isshaken or jarred.

A related feature resides in supporting the speaker by means of aresilient spring arm which urges the needle into the groove. The factors2 rigid pan or dish 36 which may be of thin lightweight metal or thelike, preferably aluminum, having a peripheral rim 31, to which theperiphery 38a of a vibratory diaphragm 38 is attached, as by cement 55or the like. Also, to insure a good attachment, a number of lips 39 areturned over from the rim 3'! and down on the periphery of the diaphragm.By light-weight metal of the dish is meant a light metal such asaluminum of about .008 inch gauge. The diaphragm itself may be conicaland may be made of paper or such other suitable material as diaphragmsare made of, preferably provided with some rigidity by the presence ofan annular formation 40. This may be a dimpled paper made hard whenformed and pressed. The apex of the diaphragm points toward the pan andthe center of the pan 36 is provided with an opening 4| which exposesthe apex of the diaphragm and permits the entry of a pickup needle orstylus 32 through the opening and through the diaphragm apex. The end ofthe needle is provided with a head 32a like a thumb tack and is directlyattached to the diaphragm, as it is held in rigid engagement with theapex of the diaphragm by a layer of glue or wax 43,

' over which is preferably placed another layer of stance is calledherein a resilient binder.

of light-weight construction and relatively strong spring pressurecombine to maintain the needle in the groove in spite of rough handling,particularly when the record is provided with a deep groove.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be betterunderstood from the following detailed description and the accompanyingdrawing of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pickup-speaker unit according to myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the device of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the arrangement and attachment of theneedle; and

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of the arrangement of a needle point in arecord groove which can be used in the operation of the unit.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a pickup and speaker assemblycomprising. a

a wax 44. The substance 43 is preferably a nonbrittle hard wax'such assealing wax, and the substance 44 is preferably a resilient wax or gluesuch as a bookbinders glue. This latter sub- It is found that thiscombination of substances 43 and 44 avoids tearing of the diaphragmmaterial which otherwise-may tend to occur at the needle.

As the diaphragm is of paper or the like, it is vibrated by action ofthe needle attached to it; and since the pan or dish 36 is of rigidmetal supporting the diaphragm it is non-vibratory.

The pan 36 is held on the end of an arm 45 which may conveniently be aflexible resilient strip of spring metal pivoted on a post 46 mounted.on a plate or support 9; and the resilience of the spring is sufficientto cause the needle to bear firmly against the record 29 with thedesired amount of pressure so that th needle will remain in the recordgroove while the record rotates. The fastening of the spring strip tothe bottom of the pan may be by a pair of rivets 41 on either side ofthe opening 4|, and to enable the needle to protrude, there should be anopening 44m in the strip registering with the opening l.

The under side of the pan 3B is also provideda slider 48 which can beslid over the resilient arm 45 and held between the two rivets 41 sothat it is clamped in position by the riveting action. An arm stoppingpin or lip 34 is attached to the record turntable 21 intermediate itsperiphery and center. This pin or lip protrudes through a hole 33 in theturntable-supported record 29 when in such relative locations on theturntable that the hole of the record is aligned therewith. The pin ispositioned intermediate the turntable periphery and its center, so thatit accordingly establishes a similar point on the record 29. Suitablyselected, it can be used to denote the most inwardly-extending portionof the spiral groove in which the record itself is out. When the hole 33is in such location relative to the record periphery and center that, asthe resilient arm 45 moves toward the center of the record and theturntable, by reason of the fact that the diaphragm-supported pickupneedle or stylus follows the record grooves as the turntable and recordrotates, the edge 49a of the stop or car 49 finally comes to restagainst the lip or pin 34 as the arm moves in a generally radial pathacross the turntable. The movement of the stop is actually arcuate tocoincide with that of the needle or stylus in its transverse path acrossthe record, but since the arc is determined by the distance along theresilient arm 45 from the supporting post 46 on the plate or support 9which acts as a base member, the radius is large, and since the actualarcuate motion is small, the path may be considered generally radialrelative to the center of the record and turntable and peripheral edgethereof. When the stop or car 49 contacts the pin 34, any furtherrotation of the turntable is stopped until such time as the resilientstylus or needle-carrying arm 45 is returned to a position indicative ofthe start of the record groove or some point intermediate that of groovetermination and record periphery.

The details of the slider construction are shown in Fig. 4 which'showsthe apex of the diaphragm cone and the needle 32 protruding through thehole 4| of the pan or dish 36 which acts as the supporting frame for thediaphragm. The slider comprises four sides 60a, 60b, 60c and 60d with astrip Bl extending across the space between sides 6% and 60d. The ear 49protrudes from .side 60b. When the slider is applied to the arm 45, thestrip is passed under the sides 60a and 60b but over the sheet 6|, sothat when. the rivets 41 are applied, the slider will be bound firmlybetween strip 45 and the pan 36. To enable the needle to protrude, thesheet 6! is provided with a hole 62, which substantially registers withholes 4| and Ma.

The turntable and record mounted thereon may be turned in any desiredmanner, for example, by a spring motor (not shown) in the case of verysmall units. The record may be provided with undulations of any type;but where the device is subjected to severe shock and jolts, it willusually be preferred to make the record groove deep and to make thesound-producing undulations of the hill-and-dale type. Thus when theresilient arm 45 causes the needle to bear into the groove, the needlecannot readily be shaken out of the groove.

The unit is designed to make it very difiicult to shake the needle outof its groove in the record; so that it can be used in devices which areparticularly subject to shaking and jolts, such as talking dolls.-Factors creating this are a combination of extreme light weight of thereproducer and a relatively strong spring arm pressure. It has beenfound, for example, that the reproducer unit may be made of a weight ofonly about forty grams. The spring arm pressure should preferably be atleast three or four times as great as the weight of the reproducer.

Preferably the groove of the record should be relatively deep. Apreferred arrangement is shown in Fig. 5 which is an enlarged view ofthe entry of the needle 32 into the groove. The groove 10 of the recordis preferably V-shaped and relatively deep. For example, a groove depthof about .010 inch has been found suitable; which compares with theusual depth of about .001 to .002 inch for hill-and-dale type grooves.The end of the needle is preferably terminated in a radius of about.0025 inch; which compares with the more conventional radius of about.0015 inch. Such proportions enable the needle to enter for asubstantial distance into the groove and to tend to bind against thesides of the V of the groove; thereby increasing the resistance to itsbeing shaken out of the groove.

It will be recognized that by my invention, I have provided a unique andvery useful pickupspeaker unit which is simple and economical inconstruction. In spite of the fact that it can be made of relativelysmall size and light-weight construction, it is nevertheless sturdy andcan easily be handled by anyone, including children.

The reproducer unit can easily be made in sizes as small as about oneand one-half to two and one-half inches in outside diameter; and sincethe actuating element can be a light-weight piece of paper or the like,the supporting dish can be made of thin gauge aluminum or the like, thesupporting spring arm 45 can be of thin gauge spring steel, it will berecognized that the device has very small weight with correspondingsmall inertia. Accordingly, it can be played in any position; andregardless of whether it is held upside down or sidewise, or in anyother position, the force of the spring arm will hold the needle in thegroove and also prevent it jumping out of the groove even though theunit be shaken severely.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular construction shown and described herein, which is given byway of illustration rather than of limitation and the invention is notlimited except in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a peripheral rimand a centrally located opening, a flexible diaphragm secured at itsperiphery to said rim, a pickup needle extending through said openingand directly attached to said diaphragm, and means for supporting saiddish, said means comprising a flexible, resilient strip attached to theside of the dish opposite the diaphragm and having an opening thereincorrelated with the opening through the dish through which the needleextends, and a support for said unit, said strip being fastened to saidsupport at a position remote from the dish.

2. A unit according to claim 1 in which the dish is of light-weightmetal and the diaphragm is of paper.

3. A unit according to claim 1 in which the diaphragm is conical withits apex pointed toward said opening and the needle is directly attachedto said apex.

4. A unit according to claim 1 in which the needle is secured to thediaphragm by wax.

5. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised sidewith a peripheral rim and a centrally locatedopening through the dish,

a flexible diaphragm securedat its periphery to the rim, a pickup needlesecured to said diaphragm and extending through said opening, an armfor-supporting said unit comprising a flexible, resilient strip attachedto the side of the dish opposite the diaphragm and having an openingtherein correlated with the opening through the dish through which theneedle extends, and a support for said unit, said strip being fastenedto said support at a position remote from the dish.

=6. A unit according to claim 5 in which the diaphragm is conical withits apex pointed toward said opening and fastened to the rim at thediaphragm periphery, said diaphragm being otherwise free from the dish,and the needle being attached directly to the apex of the diaphragm.

'7. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised sidewithv a peripheral rim and a centrally located opening through the dish,a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to the rim, and a pickupneedle secured to said diaphragm and extending through said opening, andan arm for supporting said unit comprising a spring strip attached tothe side of the dish opposite the diaphragm and a hole through saidstrip correlated with the hole through the dish through which the needleextends, an element mounted on said spring strip, said elementcomprising four sides and a sheet extending across and joining twoopposite ones of said sides, the spring strip passing over said sheetand under the remaining opposite pair of said sides, said element havingattached thereto a protuberance to act as a stop for a record rotatingin relation to the unit.

8. A unit according to claim '7 in which the spring strip is fastened tothe dish at both sides of said element, thereby clamping said sliderelement in position.

9. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheralrim and a centrally located opening, a flexible diaphragm secured at itsperiphery to said rim, a pickup needle secured to said diaphragm andextending through said opening and a flexible, resilient arm supportingsaid unit, said arm being attached to the frame, a hole in juxtapositionto said opening through said arm through which the needle extends, and asupport for said unit, said arm being fastened to said support at aposition remote from the frame.

10. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheralrim, a flexible diaphragm cemented at its periphery to the rim, therebeingspaced parts of said rim turned over and down against theperipheryof the diaphragm to help secure it, a pickup needle secured tosaid diaphragm and extending through an opening of the frame, and aspring arm supporting said unit, said arm being attached to the frame.

11. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised sidewith a peripheral rim and an opening centrally located through the dish,a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to the rim and a pickupneedle secured to the diaphragm and extending through the opening,

said pickup needle havin a head adherent directly to the diaphragm, andmeans for supporting said dish, said means comprising a flexible stripattached to the side of said dish opposite the diaphragm and having anopening therein correlated with the opening through the dish throughwhich the needle extends, and a support for said unit said strip beingfastened to said support at a position remote from the dish.

12. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheralrim, a flexible diaphragm fastened-at its periphery to the rim, a pickupneedle having a point, said needle being secured directly to thediaphragm and extending through an opening of the frame so that thepoint is outside of the space between the diaphragm and the frame, agrooved record mounted for rotation on a base member, and a flexible,resilient spring arm mounted at one position on the base member andattached to said frame and tending to urge the frame toward the recordin the direction of the needle point, the force of said spring armurging the frame being at least three times the combined weight of theframe, diaphragm, needle and spring arm.

13. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a peripheralrim and a centrally located opening, a flexible diaphragm secured at itsperiphery to said rim, and a picku needle extending through said openingand secured to said diaphragm, said needle being secured to thediaphragm by wax, and a layer of a resilient binder set over the wax.

14. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a rigid dish having a raised sidewith a peripheral rim and an opening centrally located through the dish,a flexible diaphragm secured at its periphery to the rim and a pickupneedle secured to the diaphragm and extending through the opening, saidpickup needle having a head adherent to the diaphragm, a layer ofnon-brittle sealing Wax placed directly against the needle and the partof the diaphragm immediately surrounding the needle, and a layer ofresilient glue placed over the wax.

15. A speaker-pickup unit comprising a frame having a rigid peripheralrim, a flexible diaphragm attached at its periphery to the rim, therebeing spaced parts of said rim turned over and down against theperiphery of the diaphragm for securing it, a pickup needle secured tosaid diaphragm and extending through an opening of the frame, and aspring arm supporting said unit, said arm being attached to the frame.

16. A phonograph comprising a base member, a record turntable supportedupon the base member, a substantially flat rigid centrally aperturedsubstantially circular dish member having upturned peripheral edges, asubstantially conical sound reproducing diaphragm secured at the conebase to the peripheral edge of the dish, a record-tracing stylusresiliently secured at substantially the diaphragm apex and protrudingthrough the dish aperture, a resilient arm secured at one end to thebase member and at its other end to the dish to support the dish in aplane generally parallel to and in proximity to that of the turntable,said arm having an aperture in its end of securement to the dish and inalignment with the dish aperture through which the diaphragm-supportedstylus protrudes, said resilient arm being so supported as normally toforce the dish and the thereby-supported diaphragm and stylus in adirection substantially axially of the supported stylus and toward theturntable.

17. The phonograph claimed in claim 16 comprising, in addition, a pinsecured to the turntable at a point intermediate its periphery andcenter, means for rotatin the turntable, and a stop secured to theresilient arm so that at time 7 8 periods when a record is supportedupon the REFERENCES CITED turntable and the diaphragm'supported StylusThe following references are of record in the is posltioned in thespiral record grooves the refile of this patent;

silient arm will be carried toward the turntable center in a generallyradial path for a distance 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS limited by the pointof contact established be- Number Name Date tween the stop and theturntable-supported pin 799,773 Anthony Sept. 19, 1905 establishedthrough inward arm movement due 1,370,462 Locke Mar. 1, 1921 to thestylus tracking the record groove. 1,655,196 Parolinl et a1. Jan. 3,1928 10 1,764,957 Jakosky June 17, 1930 JESSE J. WARNER. 1,813,972Thomas July 14, 1931

